For those who do not have time to shop and prepare dinner each night, meal prep businesses do the work for them. The business provides and prepares the ingredients, recipes and work space, and customers stop by to quickly prepare a meal to take home. Many meal prep businesses also prepare entire meals that need only reheating in the oven. If you enjoy food and working with others, starting a meal prep business may be the right small business choice.

Write a business plan that outlines each stage of business development for your meal prep business. In the first section, describe the types of meal prep services you will provide. Services typically include creating recipes; cleaning, chopping and measuring ingredients so customers can assemble meals in your store; or providing fully assembled meals for customers to purchase. In the second section, list all start-up costs. These may include rent, utilities, food supplies and materials, computer software and equipment, business insurance and labor. Describe ways to market your meal prep business in the third section. List all roles and responsibilities of management and employees in the fourth section.

Register your meal prep business with your state's secretary of state's office. Contact the local county clerk's office to apply for a business license. Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to use on all business tax forms. Contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for more information about EINs. Contact your local health department to inquire about the types of permits needed to handle and sell food to the public. Purchase business insurance from a licensed insurance provider, such as general liability, property and worker's compensation to protect business assets.

Contact a commercial real estate agent to lease commercial kitchen space. This space should be able to accommodate several work stations where customers can assemble their meals. Kitchen space should be large enough to allow preparation of ingredients in advance and storage of food, kitchen and cleaning supplies. Purchase kitchen supplies and equipment from restaurant supply stores or online. You may also need a computer and bookkeeping and invoicing software.

Create daily menus with at least two meal options for customers. Menus may include an appetizer, entree, sides and dessert. Create easy-to-follow recipes that include an ingredients list, measurements and cooking instructions. Meals should serve between four and six people.

Create a website to post daily menus, schedule meal prep appointments with customers, showcase food and provide contact information and hours of operation. You may also want to create a calendar that displays available appointments.

Hire employees to prepare ingredients, supervise customers during meal prep and clean the kitchen and work stations after customers leave. Depending on the number of customers served each day, you may need two or three employees.

Tip

Place marketing materials such as fliers and brochures in grocery stores, online and print business directories, day care centers, shopping malls and other places potential customers may frequent.

Warning

It may take several months to build a solid customer base. Before opening a meal prep business, save at least six months' worth of expenses to cover start-up and monthly costs.

About the Author

Based in the Washington metro area, Jessica Jones has been a freelance writer since 2006, specializing in business topics. Her fiction has also been featured in publications such as "The Jamaican Observer Sunday Literary Supplement" and at websites including HackWriters. Jones earned a Master of Fine Arts in fiction writing from Lesley University.